Air-ship.



P. H. MOCONNELL.

AIRSHIP.

APPLIGATION FILED APR.1s,1eos.

925,494. Patented June 22, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. l .M

WITNESSES.-

VUninnn Astradine-PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP n. McoNNELL, oF

sYRAcUsE, NEW YORK, AssieNoR or oNE'rENTH To Louis BERGEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AIR-SHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Jane 22,1909.

Application filed April 16, 1908. Serial No. 427,309.

\To .all fwwm 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, PHILIP H. McCoN- NELL, of the city of Syracuse, county of Onondaga, and `State of New York, have invented a new -and useful vImprovement in l Air-Ships, of which the followingk is a full,

clear, and exact: description.

My invention relates to improvements in airships and more especially to airships of the self sustaining` variety in which gas bags are used to support the vessel. Usually air ships of this class are raised and lowered by regulating the ballast or the gas supply, but my invention is intended to produce an airship in which the gas supply is practically constant, is suiicient to support the machine, and in which :a series of propellers driven by a common shaft, butA .independently regulated, are used to force the airship ahead or upward or downward, vas desired.

The principal feature of my invention lies in the construction and connections of these propellers or fans and the regulating mechanism thereof.' Obviouslyit is necessary in the first instance to have relativelyv powerful fans which are also light, and to provide for the highest eiliciency I have produced fans which have foldable or closable blades i arranged to open at thedesired point and-y ,so get .a good grip on the air', and which close after-domg their work so as to come back to the starting point' in a practically feathered or closed shape. By constructing the fans-in this way, they are made to act with the least possible loss` of power, Vand to further provide for the practical control ofv the ship I have devised a regulator by which the fans can be-shifted on their axes so that they will open into working shape atY any desired angle tothe body of the ship. I

have provided means for independently regulating the several fans, and thus I can arrange them so that they will have an up- 45- ward `as well as a forward lift or aA downward pull, if desired, thus providing for accurately guiding the ship up or down or horizontally. Thus it will be seen that by having the fans independently regulable I can set one of them, say the bow fan, so as to have an upward lift, andthe others to have a horizontalgirive, or I can arrange the forward fan so as to get a down'pull and have the others drive forward. Thus by y a suitable housing. I l v motor 17 which should be a. light gas engine.

regulating the desired fans can get any necessary eiect'. 'lo provide for easy stopping and starting of the machine, I mount it on light wheels so that itcan be pushed along the'ground, and for steering I provide a common type of rudder.

'Viththeseends in view and with the general object of producing a safe, powerful and easily controlled airship, vmy invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations ,of parts which will'be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings forming a partA of thisv speciication, in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in allthe views.

Figure l is a side elevation of the kairship embodying my invention. `A`F ig. 2 isa plan view of the body of the ship with the gas vbag removed. Fig. 3 is anenlargeddetail shape, and the body lZof the airship can beof any approved design, and is supported from the gas lbag by lines 1l as usual. The frame 12 is, however, preferably relatively long Vso as lto offer litt-le resistance to the; wind, it has a pointed prow 1B for the san reason, and af rudder let which can be openated in any usual way. The body of tli'e machine' is 'also preferably provide-d with light wheels 15 so that it'can be easily pushed along the ground or into and o ut of The body carries a but which can be, a motor of any approved kind, and this drives a main"l shaft 1G running longitudinally of the body"`and`. connectingbybe'vel gears 1S andj 19",with a series of vertical shafts 2O which are mounted in suitable brackets 2l and and which carry the fans las presently described.l In

'order that the driving connectionr to [any fan may be easily broken' when desired,

by a shipper 23 providedl with a suitable bracket 2l and connected with a lever 25. This leverl 25 iswwithin easy reach of the operator so that, as stated, any fan can be thrown ont of gear by simply moving the,"

lever.

, Each shaft 20 connects by bevel gears Q6 yand2'7 With ahorizontal shaft Q8 which is kmounted in brackets 29 and carries a .'lan

30'. The fan 30 and the regulator for controlling it comprise my invention. fan has a suitable hub 3l and radial spokes `32, as shown clearly in the drawings. There can be any` desired number of these spokes, but'fonr answer the purpose perfectly.

rII` he spokes 32 are stayed by braces 33 connecting Tthe spoke ends as shown in lFig. 1.

Each spoke 32. hasI near its inner end an .arm 34 whichfis hinged to the, spoke as lShown at. 35, and which when closed lies iarallel with the arm as shown at the top ot tHg. 3, but which when open swings out at an angle tothe arm asshown at the bottom of the same ligure. The diametrically opposed a-rms 3l are connected together by a link .or rod 3G. which. is .shorter thanlthe combined length of the opposed `spokes 32 sothat when one arm I3-I is yclosed the opposite arm is pulled open, -and vice versa. Each arm 341 connects with its spoke 3". by a web 37 which is flexible, and can. be conveniently, stout canvas, leather` or similar material, but I do not limitv the invention to such materials, as any flexible arrangement of ,web canbe substituted for thatV shown. The outer ends of the arms 3l are also stiti'ened on the back side., that is the side oppositefthe thrust of the arm as .it .swlngs against vthe air, by abrace 3b' which lextends from the .end ofthe arm 8,2 laterally yand then diagonally inward as shown at 39, where it connects with the base oi the spoke .as shownl clearly ni Fig. A

, brace 39a; also extendsirom the outer part of the brace :5 9 to the .next adjacent spoke ,aswshown 1i1't',I1`igs. 3 and 6. The outer end of the arm 34 where it comes opposite ,the brace 3S, has an extension 4-1 and a roller 40. thereon runs on the brace 3S so that the arml moves easily back and .forth with ...relation to the spoke 3Q, and 1s at the same time substantiallybraced.

.To providefor regulating-the fan and for opening the blades at the right-time, I use a eanrregnlator which `operates lon thearms I12,one of, whichy is secured to each of the arms 3l. near its inner end, and the arm 42 eis bent'inwardslightly so as to necessary clearance, and has sidably arranged thereolr a roller 43 which enga es the edge L.t5/.of the cam regulator. 44, tns being of cylindrical shape, and it is mounted rovide for ranged to follow the cam edge 45 of the regulator. Consequently "when one roller 43y is opposite the wider part of the eamythe arm 42 will he pushed inward `closing thc arm ll which swings onthe Vhinge-335,v and' i the opposed roller 43 will he on the mtrrower part of the cam, while the rod y-lt\\'ill pull on one of the arms 3l and open thel web ST ol the tan blade to action against the air.

y For vt'lriving ahead. the regulator Il 'is f@ adjusted .so thatthe blade. ot the-i`an `will open just' as it swings downwardI and real" ward. and this will, of course. cause the op posite blade to close as it swingsupward and forward. and thus the fan has its blades .opened onlyat the time `that they are actuallv doingwork.y Itwill be'seetrfnrther that. by adjusting the cam cylinder ll I lan make theblade open at'. any desired point.

'lilius by having-the rblades-open, as` they come to a horizontal posit-ion, the tendency will be to litt tip-warden the .n'utchine, while. by shifting `the cam `farther so that the blades begin to act only as they-reach a vertical position 4beneath their axes, 'the tendencywill` be topnll the airship downward toward the earth. To provide for this adjustment I have suitable handlesv lt) on the cant cylinder il. and the cylinder is held in position hy a releasableflock which onbeing l ltreed ypermitsv the cam to be turned to the desired point. .tsimple means of lot-king and releasing the cam iss-hewn in Figs, :l and 5. llere the cam cvlinder 47'; has a series of notchesl 5() ytherein which are engaged by the bent end 53 of a dog 51the latter being pivoted as; shown at 52 on'an adjacent support and pressed by the spring 5l .so` as to normally lock the cylinder 44. ating thedog 51, that'isl by pressing on its outer end. the evlinder ,-14 can` be freed and yturned tothe desired position..

n From the Ii'oregoing descrip clearly seen that I have produced' a driving means for buoyant lairships whiclnis easily regulable, and by which .the 'direction of drive can be perfectly,Y controlled, `while the driving fans are `adapted to. work with great elliciency. It will' be `obvious that the alrship can be'cquipped with ,any necessary `number ofthcse fans, and that any suitable driving mechanism can l'be used yfor giving motion to'thcm. "In practice I preferito' nr rangey the fans in pairs Ias shown in F1g.'2, with the pairs. arranged so 'that there shall be one of each pair on each side of the. body tion it.'l will be [nection between c opposed l2, as inv this wa;` l get a perfect-ly balanced machine.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure 'by Letters Patent l. In an apparatus'of the kind described, the fan 4connnising radial spokes, laterally arranged braces on the spokes, arms hinged tothe spokes and .running on the. braces, webs 4connecting the arms and spokes, and a connection between opposite arms wherebyv the closing of one opens the other.

:2. The combination with the fan having spokes with a-rms hinged thereon, and webs connecting the arms and spokes, of aconarms whereby the z losing of one opens the other, and cam mechanism to operate the arms by the turning of the fan.

3. In an apparatus of the kind described, the fan comprising radial spokes. arms hinged to the spokes soas to open in relation thereto, /webs connecting 'the spokes and arms, and a connection between opposed arms on opposite sides'of the fans axis, whereby l'the closing of one arm opens the other.

4. The combination of a fan havinghinged arms, an adjustable cam, means for operatively connecting the cam and arms. whereby the arms are successively actuated by the cam, and connections between the opposed arms whereby the arms actuated by the cam control the opposed arms.

The combination with a fan haring gopena'bleblades and a connection between theopposed blades, whereby the closing of .fone opens the other, of a normally stationary but rotatably adjustable cam, an operative connection between the cam and the blades.

to adjustthe blades, and a locking device to fix the position of the cam. I

6. In an apparatus of the kind described, a fan, comprising a hub'liaving rigid radial spokes. arms hinged to the spokes near the hub, webs connecting each armwvith its adjacent' spoke, generally triangular braces arranged on the spokes adjacent to the arms, a .sliding connection between the arms and the braces, and an operative connection between the arm on one side of the t'an and the arm on the opposite side of the fans axis, whereby the closing of one arm opens the other.

T. The combination of a fan having hinged arms. an adiustable cam, means for operativel)T connectingl the cani and arms.

'whereby the arms are successively actuated by the cam. connections between the opposed arms whereby the arms actuated by the cam control the opposed arms. and locking device to fix the position of the cam.

S. In an air ship, the combination of a fan having' radial rigid spokes, arms hinged to the spokes. webs connecting adjacent arms and spokes. a second set of arms rigidly secured to the first mentioned arms. an adjustable cam stationed near the hub of the fan and serving as an abutment for operating'the second set of arms successively for closing the arms successively, and means connected to opposed arms whereby the cam actuated arm actnates the opposed arm in anA opposite direction, anda locking device. for the cam.

PHILIP MCCONNELL. 

